Health & Fitness

Want to Get in Shape? Get Your Free Copy of “The Fit Life”

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Hello, this is Helen M. Ryan, The Fit Life columnist for LA’s The Place, certified personal trainer and Spinning® instructor. I have put together a little something for LA’s the Place readers – my fitness column articles (and some weight loss tips) in a handy hard-copy electronic book. It’s free for your use and to pass around to friends and family.

I Was Severely Obese

Helen before and afterSomething you probably don’t know about me is that I am a real person. I am not some young, always-skinny crop top-clad gym bunny. I am almost 43 years old, the mother of two, a busy trainer and writer. And I used to be fat…very fat. In fact, I was considered obese. I lost a lot of weight and am now in the “normal” range (though about 10 pounds heavier today than in my buff “after photo” below, but that’s life!). However, I am very fit…and very healthy. That is what I want to share with you: How to regain your fitness and become healthier – to feel better in your body – and to live life to the fullest.

Easy Tips That Help

I put this compilation together as a way for you to have fitness information at your fingertips. Inside, you will find, for example:

• Ways to increase your metabolism (page 1)
• Hints on getting fit after 40 (page 6)
• Tips on creating an inexpensive home-based gym (page 3)
• Why Spinning changed my life (even though my butt hurt for weeks) (page 11)

My “Surviving the Holidays” article may be about how not to gain weight over the Christmas season, but the tips are applicable to Easter, Fourth of July or any other holiday where eating is pretty much mandatory.

The Fit LifeThe Secret to Success

Getting in shape is both harder and easier than it seems. The secret to success is consistency. Just like with anything else in life. If you start – then stop – then start again, it’s not going to happen for you.

The Fit Life encourages you to work fitness into your life, learn how to make the best choices for you, pick something you love as a form of exercise, and above all, to be honest with yourself. My personal essays are very honest. As with, “I Love My Thighs” (page 14.) I really do love them…they can climb any hill I put in front of them. (You’ll see my less-than perfect thighs in action on the bike, happily pumping away for 60 miles, in the accompanying photo.)

Helen M. Ryan Before and After

Helen M. Ryan Before and After

Learn How I Lost 80 Pounds

In The Fit Life you will also read my story about how I lost 80 pounds, re-discovered fitness, and how I now use what I learned to forge a career helping others with their weight loss struggles. In my essay, “My A-Ha Moment” (page 9), I talk about how it felt to be part of that struggle:

“In August of 2003 I weighed 198 pounds. I wore a size 20. I could not walk very far, I could not climb stairs. My feet hurt all the time. I had spent years staring into the bottoms of empty ice cream containers, spoon in hand, wondering what had happened to me and my life. Where did I go? Who was this unhappy creature eating away her days, passing time, waiting until she died? I had no answers.”

I may not be able to provide you with all the answers, but I hope this guide can help you on the path to your fitter life.

The Fit Life book. It’s yours. It’s free. Courtesy of www.LAsThePlace.com.
>>Click Here to Download the Free E-Book<<

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About the author

Helen M. Ryan